Pavement Concrete

Pavement concrete is typically made using basalt stone, and various types of concrete can be chosen according to requirements, whether it’s fine or coarse aggregate concrete. The pavement concrete is equipped with reinforcing steel baskets and 50 cm long, 26 mm diameter reinforcement bars along the expansion joints, oriented perpendicularly to the roadway. Parallel to the roadway, reinforcing steel baskets are also used, but here 18 mm diameter ribbed concrete steel bars, measuring 750-800 mm in length, are applied, which are coated with a corrosion-resistant paint. This helps prevent rainwater from causing iron corrosion through cracks that may form at the expansion joints.

It is advisable to place the reinforcing bars along the axis of the expansion joint, maintaining equal distance on both sides of the cut. Simply put, the center of the bar should be located where the cut is, which applies to both longitudinal and transverse expansions.

Reinforced Pavement Concrete:

Reinforced pavement concrete is typically fitted with a double mesh, where a distance of 5 cm must be maintained from the subgrade, and the upper mesh should be positioned in the upper two-thirds of the structure. No reinforcing steel baskets are used here, and typically the 26 mm version of the reinforcing bars is applied, solely for the creation of expansion joints.

Expansion Joint:

An expansion joint refers to the complete cross-sectional separation of the concrete. The only connection is provided by the reinforcing bar, preventing horizontal displacement. A plastic sleeve is placed on one side of the reinforcing bars to facilitate movement during shrinkage and to prevent the connection between the reinforcing bar and concrete. The other side is bonded to the concrete.

Dilatation Cut:

This cut can also be referred to as a directed crack, as it is necessary due to the distribution of forces occurring during the bonding of the concrete. If the joint cutting does not occur in time, the concrete may crack during shrinkage, resulting in an unsightly surface appearance.

Foil is also used under the pavement concrete, typically in two layers, to facilitate sliding movement. An exception is when the receiving surface is treated with a bitumen emulsion; in this case, covering with foil is not necessary.

Joint Filling:

Pavement concrete, like all dilatations, must be protected from external influences. For long-lasting performance, it is most effective to fill with molten bitumen, considering the high environmental impacts. Wherever the joint filling is done with silicone, its lifespan is generally lower.